Transcripts of internal meetings reveal that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would relax regulations on makers of nicotine pouches as part of a new pilot program. This is the first obvious indication of a more lenient approach to smoking cessation under Trump’s presidency.
Before allowing new nicotine products to be sold in the US, the FDA has traditionally subjected them to stringent testing, including forcing manufacturers to do expensive studies that describe the effects of their products at the population level.
By assisting smokers in quitting cigarettes, the FDA has sought to make sure that products provide a net health benefit without causing new problems, such an increase in teen use.
